Masayoshi Ishikawa, who is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz composition in the Glenn Korff School of Music, has won a 2014 Downbeat Student Music Award in Graduate Composition for Small Ensemble.
His composition, “Hotaru,” was selected as the award-winning work. He wrote the piece for the UNL Graduate Jazz Combo. The work premiered at the combo’s concert in October 2013.
“I used to ride one of the bike trails for commuting, and it was especially delightful to bike on autumn evenings,” Ishikawa said. “The grasses turn brown, and the breeze is gentle, and I would hear crickets singing. It was a beautiful view, but also somewhat melancholy. While biking on this trail, I somehow thought of ‘hotaru,’ a firefly in Japanese. I knew fireflies usually appear in summer, but my imagination of butterflies dancing around the trail kept growing more and more in my mind. I found out that once fireflies become adults, they only live for a week or two.
“In this piece, ‘Hotaru,’ I wanted to capture my expressions of how exquisitely fireflies dance in the air with their tails glowing, but also how short their lives are.”
Eric Richards, associate professor of composition and jazz studies, said Masayoshi is a gifted and creative composer/arranger.
“He meticulously crafts each of his works, carefully considering the interaction of multiple dimensions of melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre and improvisation,” Richards said. “Most importantly, he is one of the kindest and most humane young musicians I have ever had the pleasure of mentoring. He has the talent and potential to become a major voice in jazz composition and arranging.”
Ishikawa holds two Master of Music degrees — one in jazz composition from the University of South Florida and one in jazz piano performance from the University of Northern Colorado. A pianist, he has performed in several jazz ensembles within the United States and has performed at many festivals throughout Italy.
The student music awards program of Downbeat Magazine is considered to be the most significant professional recognition of creative and excellence for student composers, performers and audio engineers working in the jazz and vernacular idioms. Downbeat Magazine is the monthly “bible” of jazz, blues and roots music.
Click here to read more about the Downbeat Magazine award.
Other recent awards and honors earned by UNL faculty, staff, students and departments include:
Faculty
• Gina Fe Causin, assistant professor of nutrition and health sciences, has been selected to work as an American Pavilion faculty mentor for the event/hospitality management internship at the Cannes International Film Festival. The mentors help oversee the different program activities and assist students enrolled in film, culinary, event/hospitality management and business programs. The American Pavilion is the focus of the U.S. film industry’s presence at the film festival, serving as a communications and hospitality center for journalists, publicists, celebrities, filmmakers and motion picture executives working the event.
• Rodrigo Franco, assistant professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences received the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the UNL Chapter of Sigma XI. The award was presented May 1.
• Larry Scharmann has been named chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. He is currently a professor and assistant dean/director of the School of Teacher Education at Florida State University. Scharmann is a UNL alumnus, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. His doctorate in education is from Indiana University. He will join the college on Aug. 1. http://go.unl.edu/avoo
Students
• Anna Bellatorre, a graduate student in sociology, is finishing her dissertation this summer and heading to the National Institutes of Health to begin a position as a postdoctoral researcher in social and behavioral science. She will be in the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities in Bethesda, Md. Bellatorre will work with investigators in the Division of Intramural Research. The work will build on Bellatorre’s UNL research experiences, which include assisting Bridget Goosby’s study on the effects of perceived racism on health.
• Tara Wood, the first graduate of UNL’s Doctor of Plant Health Program, is working as program coordinator at the Borlaug Institute of International Agriculture in College Station, Texas. The doctor of plant health program is one of two in the country, with the other being offered at the University of Florida. http://go.unl.edu/7vfe
Campus departments
• The U.S. Meat Animal Research Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The center, located in Clay Center, houses both UNL and federal employees and is also the home to the Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center. Through a collaboration between the USDA and UNL, the center has crafted the largest cattle breed comparison study over the last 35 to 40 years. http://go.unl.edu/aaz8
This column is a regular feature of UNL Today. Faculty, staff and students can submit their achievements to be considered for this column via email to achievements@unl.edu. For more information, call 402-472-8515.
